Chapter 100

Chapter 100

[I am truly sorry……………!]

Alon was speechless as he observed Tovette, her head bowed and her face streaked with tears. To be honest, Alon himself had never foreseen such a turn of events.

“Is this… actually possible?”

Alon gazed in astonishment at Seolrang, who was now shining with a bright, eager smile, looking for approval—a stark contrast to the threatening golden glare she had displayed before.

‘No, but seriously, how did she manage to catch her?’

Alon couldn’t help but be amazed by what lay before him. It was an absolutely inconceivable achievement—capturing Tovette was, by its very nature, a task that should have been unachievable. After all, Tovette was comparable to a game piece that could move more than a hundred squares in one go.

“How… how did you catch her?”

The question escaped his lips before he could even think. Seolrang, tilting her head with an air of innocence, answered without a moment’s pause.

“I just caught her.”

Her reply was far too simple.

“…I see.”

“Well, she’s not wrong,” Alon considered, “but that leaves out so much…”

‘No, really, how in the world?’

Certainly, Alon had already witnessed from past events that Seolrang was incredibly swift, but this surpassed anything he could have conceived.

‘At this level… she could probably traverse the desert in under two days. No, more than that… she’s already operating on a level far beyond normal, just like Deus.’

He found himself once again admiring the innate abilities of the Five Great Sins.

‘Now that I think about it, she wasn’t powerful because a god possessed her. She was simply born this way, wasn’t she?’

As he reflected on this, Alon felt a tinge of inadequacy about his own small, frail physique. But he quickly brushed aside his self-pity and redirected his focus to Tovette. The immediate circumstances still demanded his attention.

Tovette, who had been seized by the neck in an instant and intimidated by Seolrang, appeared thoroughly rattled and fearful.

Seeing her frightened face, Alon inquired,

“Does this qualify as your capture?”

[It does……….]

“…”

[It does.]

After stealing a nervous glance at the beaming Seolrang, Tovette lowered her head in defeat.

“So, now we are the ones who have to run, correct?”

[Huh? Oh, yes.]

Tovette gave a hesitant, jerky nod, her movements uncertain.

“Seolrang, can you manage it?”

“Of course, Master! I am incredibly fast!”

Seolrang puffed out her chest confidently, placing her hands on her hips. Alon looked over at Tovette, who appeared anxious.

“Then let’s start.”

[Yes. When the hourglass above my head turns over, we will begin. You have one minute to run.]

Despite Tovette’s timid behavior, Alon felt a growing sense of strain. Outwardly, Tovette resembled a young girl who was not fully grown, but in reality, she was a fairy who had lived for centuries.

And since fairies could be reborn even after dying, threats to her life held no power over her.

Knowing this, Alon suspected Tovette’s fear was just a performance to lull them into a false sense of security. He watched the fairy carefully as the hourglass, positioned in the middle of the arena, began to flip and count down.

“Just as I thought…”

Alon detected a faint, upward quirk at the edge of Tovette’s mouth, contradicting her terrified eyes. It was a cunning, sly grin.

Seolrang, who had been studying Tovette closely, suddenly spoke up.

“Master.”

“Yes?”

“If I get caught, can we do it over?”

“Do it over?”

Alon glanced at the hourglass, now rotated 90 degrees, and responded,

“Hmm, most likely.”

“Ha! So we can try again?”

“Yes.”

Alon nodded, remembering the rule that fairies must always accept challenges issued by humans.

And the moment the hourglass completed its turn and the trial officially commenced—

“?”

Tovette did not move.

Nor did Seolrang.

‘…Are they moving so fast my eyes can’t track them?’

For a fleeting moment, Alon entertained that bizarre idea, but of course, it wasn’t true.

The two of them—Tovette and Seolrang—had genuinely not moved an inch.

“?”

Bewildered, Alon could only frown in confusion. Yet, even as they remained motionless, the sand in the hourglass continued to pour down steadily.

One minute later—

“Wow! I won!”

“…”

Alon turned to see Seolrang throwing her arms up in victory, cheering happily. Beside her, Tovette stood with her head hung low, her face somewhat pale as if she was still in shock from what had just happened.

That day, Alon acquired the artifact called the Hand of the Wandering One.

“It’s all thanks to you,” he told Seolrang.

“For Master? I would do anything!”

Beaming with self-assurance and pride, Seolrang’s attitude filled Alon with a deep sense of thankfulness.

“If there is anything you desire, I will make it happen.”

“Really!?”

“Of course. Well, within my power. If it’s too hard, I may have to reconsider.”

“Hmm~ Then can I have some time to think about it?”

“Take your time.”

They shared this easy-going conversation as they exited the arena. As they neared the entrance to the underground prison, a question formed in Alon’s mind.

“By the way, why were both of you standing so still earlier?”

“Hm? Earlier?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm~ I’m not sure. She didn’t move, so I didn’t either. I figured I would move when she did.”

Her casual reply left Alon staring at her, dumbfounded.

“What? Why?”

Seeing Seolrang’s guileless expression, Alon simply shrugged and continued walking out of the cave. The entire incident occurred in the quiet of the early morning, with no one else around to see it.

***

The three days in Tern passed by swiftly. By the fourth day, the conference had formally concluded, giving way to a time of fellowship without any official gatherings.

For Alon, this meant: ‘If I am going to make my move, I must do it now.’

Having already secured everything he needed, Alon chose to depart without delay.

“Master, you’re leaving already!?”

“I have matters to attend to.”

“…Oh…”

Hearing this, Seolrang’s tail slumped noticeably. It wasn’t as if her world had ended, but her disappointment was obvious to all. It reminded Alon of a child’s charming sulk, which prompted him to add:

“I will come back to visit at some point.”

“Really!?”

“Yes.”

Though he wasn’t entirely sincere, he knew he would soon be journeying near her territory again to meet the Dragonkin. Having placated her with this assurance, Alon gave Seolrang a quick goodbye and promptly departed.

***

Not long after, Alon went to see Deus to bid him farewell.

“Are you speaking of Ronavelli?” Deus inquired.

“Yes.”

“Then please allow me to accompany you.”

Alon blinked. “Together?”

“Yes. I was already intending to travel to Ronavelli.”

“…For what reason?”

At Alon’s question, Deus explained:

“One year ago, Reinhardt entered Ronavelli and has not come back.”

“So… you are going to search for him?”

“Yes. We do have a clue, but none of the knights have succeeded in retrieving him.”

“A clue, but the knights couldn’t bring him back?”

“They believe he is in the ‘Selvanus Sector.’”

“Oh.”

Suddenly, everything made sense to Alon. The knights’ failure to recover Reinhardt now seemed perfectly logical.

‘Of course… the Selvanus Sector.’

The Selvanus Sector was a massive, uncharted jungle within Ronavelli—one of its three mapped regions—and was inhabited by horrifically mutated monsters.

The chances of a regular knight surviving in the Selvanus Sector were negligible—once inside, they would likely be reduced to skeletal remains. After all, even in the game Psychedelia, the Selvanus Sector wasn’t accessible until the middle or later parts of the story.

‘Using the Blessing of the Ruins would be effective, but there’s no way the knights would know about that.’

Recalling the game’s systems, Alon gave a slight nod.

“Alright, I will go with you.”

“Yes, I shall accompany you.”

And so, that day, Alon set out for Ronavelli with Deus.

***

The journey to Ronavelli over the next several days with Deus proved to be more pleasant than Alon had expected. When they first got into the carriage together, Alon had been concerned it would be an uncomfortable, silent trip, similar to their previous encounters. However, to his surprise, Deus was uncharacteristically conversational this time.

As a result—

“…It seems we are nearly there.”

“It would appear so.”

As the humidity in the air became thick enough to dampen their clothes, Alon understood they were approaching the jungle’s perimeter. He started mentally arranging the objectives he needed to achieve during their stay in Ronavelli.

First Objective: The Ruins of Malacca

Alon gave a slight nod to himself. Reaching the ruins of Malacca would not be too difficult, as he already knew their location from a side quest in the game.

Although the game showed the ruins as inaccessible due to a caved-in entrance, the real world might be different.

Second Objective: Finding the Matching Bracelet

Reaching into his coat, Alon pulled out a bracelet—one he had recently acquired in Tern. On its own, the bracelet possessed no ability or power.

‘…The other half should be located in the Hermit’s Sanctuary.’

If he could retrieve the companion bracelet from the Hermit’s Sanctuary and unite the two, the resulting artifact would become extremely useful to him in his present condition.

Third Objective: Preparing for the “Forgotten One”

The final, and perhaps most vital, task was to find an item that could oppose the “Forgotten One.”

Unlike the other extradimensional entities Alon had encountered so far, the Forgotten One was already completely manifested in this world. This made it a significantly more dangerous foe.

“Phew.”

How much time had gone by as Alon let out a soft sigh and finalized his plans?

“We have arrived.”

Alon soon became aware that they had reached a small duchy on the jungle’s edge: the lands of Luxible, specifically the domain of Caslot. Stepping down from the carriage, he prepared himself for the journey into the jungle.

From here, they would need to proceed on foot to the exploration camp set up by mages and adventurers further within the jungle.

The three of them—Alon, Deus, and their guide—headed directly for the southern gate that led into the jungle. The moment they passed through the gate—

“Sir, it looks like this is your first time here. Do you require a guide? Just inform me of your destination, and I will lead you there immediately!”

Hucksters descended upon them, keen to sell their services. It was as if they had been lying in wait for new arrivals.

‘…I knew there would be many, but this exceeds my expectations.’

The vicinity of the exploration camp was a hub for relics and ruins, making it a prime spot for discovering artifacts. This naturally attracted a constant flow of adventurers and hopeful mercenaries dreaming of a major find.

Alon took a step back from the pushy hucksters.

“I am fine. I already know where I am going.”

“Oh, come now, sir! This jungle is a labyrinth, and it is very easy to become disoriented!”

“Even so, I will be alright.”

Alon firmly refused, and only then did the huckster reluctantly back away, melting back into the crowd.

“There certainly are a great many hucksters here,” Evan remarked.

“Indeed,” Alon replied.

Just as they were sharing these thoughts—

“Marquis.”

“Yes?”

“Shall I kill that man from a moment ago?”

“…What?”

Alon was confused by Deus’s abrupt proposal.

“Why?”

“He insulted you.”

“…He did?”

“Yes, I heard it distinctly.”

“Well…”

While being insulted wasn’t exactly agreeable, Alon didn’t believe it merited execution. Shaking his head, he rejected the notion.

“That is not necessary.”

“As you command.”

Deus nodded in compliance, though his serene expression did little to clarify Alon’s confusion.

“Still,” Alon added, “thank you for being mindful of my honor.”

Assuming Deus had suggested it out of loyalty to him, Alon acknowledged it gratefully, albeit with a faint smile.

But precisely five minutes later—

“Marquis.”

“…What is it now?”

“Shall I kill the huckster from before?”

“…Why this time?”

“He insulted you again after you refused him and walked away.”

“…Do not.”

“Understood.”

By the time they reached the southern gate opening into the jungle, Deus had made no fewer than eight proposals to kill the hucksters. Each time, he looked genuinely sorrowful as he watched the offending parties, his hand casually positioned on the hilt of his sword.

At this stage, Alon couldn’t help but ask himself:

‘Wait… has he unlocked some sort of bloodthirsty instinct?’

A peculiar disquiet began to grow in Alon’s heart.